Strategic state priorities in the field of defense industry, “rules of the game” for investors and manufacturers, as well as the latest developments. The International Defense Investment Forum, dedicated to the development of the defense industry in Ukraine for the period up to 2030, held at NTUU “Igor Sikorsky KPI” within the framework of the Sikorsky Challenge Festival, brought together government officials, universities, research institutions and business.
Opening the strategic session of the forum, KPI Rector Michael Zgurovsky noted that holding the Forum at the University is a token of respect for many engineers, designers, scientists who work hard in the sphere of high defense technologies. Now the University is working on thirty technologies, and in recent years seven such technologies have been adopted. These are unmanned aerial vehicles, radio electronic warfare systems, automated control systems, and other developments as well.
INVESTMENT CLIMATE
Today, one of the government’s priorities is to improve the investment climate in the country. This issue is complex and in our modern realities requires work in many areas. This was the leitmotif of the speech at the strategic session of the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine Oleh Urusky.
– For a long time, investors in Ukraine have been concerned about traditional risks: political instability, inflation, state protection of foreign investors, the complexity of permitting procedures, etc., – the Deputy Prime Minister said. – Today there are changes in such a sensitive area as the defense industry, especially in the public sector, which has been closed to investors for many years. In the summer of 2020, the Law of Ukraine “On Defense Procurement” was adopted, which should remove excessive “secrecy” in the defense industry and establish known mechanisms for defense procurement, in particular, for foreign partners.
In any case, national interests should not be forgotten. This opinion was expressed by the CEO of the State Enterprise “Luch” Design Bureau, Oleh Korosteliov, during the “High-precision weapons and ammunition” panel discussion.
– One of the articles of the Law “On Defense Procurement” deals with the purchase of weapons abroad and offset programs, – Mr. Korosteliov said. – I believe that budget funds should be invested in our State. In Poland, for example, priority is given to polish companies. The more money we invest abroad, the less we have left. I will assure you that our companies can manufacture almost any weapon. We have every opportunity: both natural and human resources.
KEY PRIORITIES
Recently, in June 2021, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine approved the Strategy for the Development of the Defense and Industrial Complex of Ukraine until 2030 developed by the Ministry of Strategic Industries. As Oleh Urusky reminded, the main priorities are technical re-equipment of the research and production base and modernization of enterprises, implementation of the latest technologies, foundation of modern production facilities.
Given the nature of modern wars and conflicts, the main priorities in the development and production of national weapons and military equipment of national production are: automated control systems, rocket and space technology, high-precision weapons, ammunition and special chemicals; means of radio-electronic warfare, unmanned platforms and shock robotics, equipment of the “soldier of the future”.
An important document, which somewhat concretizes and complements the Strategy for the Development of the Defense Industry, is the government Decree approving 23 priority investment projects until 2023, which was adopted in December last year. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, in fact, they outline the main highlights for the defense industry, which the government will pay attention to in the near future. Among the projects – organization of production of a prototype and serial production of heavy MICV, liquid rocket engine RD870, all-wheel drive 5 (6)-axis armored chassis for special military and civilian mobile equipment, unmanned aerial vehicle, the set of vehicles for MLRS “Vilkha M”, production lines for cartridges of various calibers, etc.
Given the limited contributions to country’s security and defense, Ukraine should focus on creating new weapons to asymmetrically deter possible aggression. The main ones are high-precision means of destruction, anti-ship missile systems, radio-electronic combat systems, radio-electronic reconnaissance systems, cybersecurity systems, cyber defense, air defense, and the latest technical means for Special Operations Forces. And unmanned aerial, ground and sea vehicles as well. This was stated by General Director of the State Concern “Ukroboronprom”, Yuriy Gusev. He reminded that Ukraine is now one of the world’s twenty great arms exporters, and there are all the prerequisites to enter the top ten in the near future.
– Our key tasks are to develop our own modern defense-industrial complex together with our international partners, founding such clusters as Antonov, which unites the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the higher education institutions, and defense enterprises. – The “Ukroboronprom” CEO noted. – Besides, it is the accelerated development of certain weapons to asymmetrically counter aggression, Ukraine’s integration into the international system of collective security, including the transition to NATO standards, and, in the future – membership in the Alliance, as well as reducing the gap between the needs of our army and national science basing on DARFA (Agency for Defense Research Projects in the United States) pattern; under this pattern we together with the KPI, have initiated and already established a special Institute of Advanced Defense Technologies.
EDUCATIONAL POTENTIAL
Another important topic raised by the Forum participants was educational potential. “If we analyze the change in the quality and level of teaching STEM disciplines in school, the results of the external independent testing in mathematics and especially physics, and the number of applicants wishing to be enrolled in engineering specialties, it becomes clear that the traditions of science and engineering school in Ukraine are under threat,” – the Chairman of the Association of Employers’ Organizations “National Association of Defense Industry Enterprises of Ukraine” Andriy Senchenko said.
According to him, one of the tasks of the Ministry of Strategy and Industry should be lobbying for significant and long-term public investments to support the nation’s intellect, material base of technical universities, increase scholarships for students and create a public support system for young professionals who come to work in strategic enterprises.
SCIENCE ARMS AND PROTECTS
Within the framework of the Forum, one could see a lot of the latest achievements in the field of defense industry, in particular, the products of defense companies and scientific and technical innovative developments of higher education and research institutions. Many of these projects became participants in the “Defense and Security” Section of the “Sikorsky Challenge 2021” Festival.
Associate Professor of “Lviv Polytechnic” National University Roman Zinko took part in the competition with the project “Mobile Combat Manipulators”. In the laboratory of mobile robotics, which exists at the Department of Automotive Engineering, a number of ready-made machines have been developed that can be used as transport vehicles, scouts and … suicide bombers.
“The use of mobile robotic platforms will reduce casualties and increase the effectiveness of combat activities. They can also be used for reconnaissance of places of industrial disasters, in agriculture (monitoring of crop ripening, disinfection of farms)”, – Mr. Zinko says. The machines are ready for production.
The projects “Organization of production of new varieties of cast mortar shells M60-M120” and “Creation of metal lightweight structures for the construction of quick erected modular protective structures” were presented by the “R.G.C. Ukraine” Company and the Institute of Physics and Technology of Metals and Alloys of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
According to Oleh Zuyko, the Company’s CEO, the basis of both projects is the technology of casting using gasified models. It gives high precision casting. Oleh Shynsky, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Head of the Department at the Physics and Technology Institute of Metals and Alloys of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the research manager of both projects, noted that ammunition housings made using this technology have high tactical and technical characteristics and are much cheaper than imported counterparts. The technology is fully ready for implementation in production.
The same technology can be used to create metal structures for protective constructions for ammunition, military equipment and personnel. As the inventors explain, these structures are much stronger than concrete and their assembling is much easier and faster.
Sumy State University presented a number of its developments at the Festival. In particular, the computer artillery firing range, which is designed to train artillery officers, cadets of higher military institutions and students of military departments.
According to SSU Vice-Rector for Research Anatoliy Chornous, this development has already been implemented in some military units that have artillery subunits.
In addition, negotiations are underway with the General Staff to make a universal training area for all types of weapons under GS’s statement of work.
Sumy scientists also presented at the Festival the technology of production of highly effective lacquer-type powders for small arms. Advantages of the development consist in high flow rate of the powder, bulk density (it can be poured more into the cartridge, so the lethal force and range of the bullet will be greater). By the way, as the speakers of the Defense Forum have repeatedly emphasized, Ukraine needs its own powder factory now more than ever.
The Hemorrhagic Sponges project ultimately became a winner at the Defense and Security Section of the Sikorsky Challenge 2021 Festival in the Perspectivity, Investment Attractiveness category.
The development of the SumySU Biomedical Research Center can be used for primary cessation of bleeding in the conditions of warfighting and accidents, as well as arrest of bleeding from parenchymal organs (liver, kidneys, spleen) in case of traumatic or intraoperative injury.
The project “Paints and Screens for Protection Against Electromagnetic Radiation” won in the “Technological Readiness of the Prototype” nomination. This technology is designed to solve problems of electromagnetic compatibility, reducing the signature of electronic equipment, protection of information and protection of personnel from the EMR effects.
The project “Design and Experimental Study of Radiometric Complex X, Ka and W bands for all-weather and high-precision detection of unmanned aerial vehicles” won in the nomination “Export Potential of Products”.
The project “ECOPYBOOK TACTICAL” won in the nomination “Practical Readiness for Serial Production”. Its team was also recognized as the winner of the Section by the absolute number of points. The inventors presented at the Festival tactical all-weather reusable notebooks and tactical anti-reflective flexible rulers.
Oleh Urusky expressed hope that the Forum will become traditional, he also noted that there are ideas to combine it with several significant exhibitions in order to have a platform that would be interesting for developers, national manufacturers and foreign partners.
Dmytro SHULIKIN, “Svit” newspaper, № 31 – 32, August 2021
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